


We’re All Mad Here

by Vertolina



Series: Even The Devil Needs A Friend [9]
Category: Lucifer (TV)
Genre: Dan's pudding makes a return, Don't expect some long and complicated fic, Dysfunctional Family, Gen, Heavenly visitors, Not Beta Read, This Was Supposed To Be A One Shot, Winged Lucifer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-20
Updated: 2017-07-12
Packaged: 2018-11-16 15:53:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11256135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vertolina/pseuds/Vertolina
Summary: Lucifer comes back after getting his wings back, wishing he could just pretend nothing has happened, but some pesky visitors come pestering him at work. Turns out Hell is no longer under the control of the Family and each of Lucifer's siblings has a different agenda regarding their rebellious brother.Some truths are revealed and Dan is caught in the middle of the celestial drama having to make some important decisions.





	1. La Familia

**Author's Note:**

  * For [SilverWolf7](https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilverWolf7/gifts).



> This technically takes place after the season 2 finale, but in the context of this series. Which means that Dan and Lucifer are besties and Dan knows that Lucifer is actually the Devil :D
> 
> SilverWolf7, thank you for being awesome! I hope it's not too weird that I'm gifting you this fic (and I hope you'll like it)! Your fics are a pleasure to read! Also in honor of our shared love for the relationship between Dan and his pudding :D
> 
> All comments are welcome! And please, excuse the mistakes you'll find!

“Put that back where you found it! He _will_ kill you for it.”

“I’d like to see him try!”

“Not that I want to be a part of this particular conversation, but with what weapon exactly do you imagine that killing is going to happen?”

“Really, Az?! You’re like a dog with a bone!”

“I cannot possibly fathom what you mean by that, brother. I asked a reasonable question. Especially if we take under consideration the fact that you threw my blade away in another dimension.”

Lucifer rolled his eyes at his sister and focused his attention on the slightly more urgent confrontation, “I’m serious, Michael, surrender the pudding!”

“I shall not! And considering the hog’s behavior, he should be thankful that this gooey substance, humans call ‘snack’, is all he’s about to lose.” Michael emphasized his words by putting a spoonful of the chocolate pudding in his mouth, his expression implacable. He was a tall man, seemingly in his late thirties or early forties, with conventionally attractive features that the stern look in his piercing grey eyes was now making appear quite repellent.

“And yet somehow, I’m the one taunted for being immature,” Lucifer muttered under his breath and took a moment to picture his big brother with knocked out teeth.

“You know, Mich, I hate to agree with Luci here, but don’t you think this whole thing is a little… unbecoming?”

“Whatever you mean, brother?”

“I’m pretty sure what Raphael means is that you’re acting like a brat,” Azrael smiled almost innocently, fearlessly meeting the cold menace in her brother’s gaze.

“Actually,” Raphael stood between his siblings, trying to buffer some of the tension, “I suggested that you might be exaggerating the significance of the situation a little bit.”

“ _Exaggerating?_ The miscreant defiled our Mother!”

“Yeah… That’s one way to put it. But it’s not like he was the only one.”

“Oh, for goodness sake, can we go back to discussing how and why I got rid of Azrael’s blade?” Lucifer had drunk the entire content of his flask and was now left to deal with his family without the help of the miraculous liquid.

“Nah, if you two start bickering about that again, I may have to strangle you both.”

“Sariel, how sweet of you to join us,” the Devil rolled his eyes in exasperation, but obediently bent forward so that his petite sister could kiss his cheek.

“So what did I miss?” Sariel sat on top of the small pile of files on Dan’s desk and looked expectantly at her siblings. The neon light was making her eyes appear violet and her skin even more pale and fragile, but the mischievous smile on her lips was giving away her vivacious spirit.

“Not much,” Azrael shrugged. “Michael is being a prude.”

“Is this how you call my concern for our Mother’s reputation?”

“Funny. You never showed much concern about her when she was rotting in Hell.”

“This is different. The Goddess of Creation laying with a foul, profane creature. Honestly, I’m shocked I’m the only one who finds it disturbing.”

“I mean, I don’t know,” Sariel bit her bottom lip. “He’s quite good-looking. And he was _this_ close to becoming our step-dad. So… You should probably be a little bit more respectful when you talk about him.”

“I sincerely hope you’re joking!” Michael growled through clenched teeth, but his sister just laughed carelessly. Raphael was just about to throw himself between his siblings once again when a surprised voice echoing from across the hall caught the attention of the celestial family.

“Lucifer!”

“And speak of the Dan.”

The detective run toward his friend and for a second seemed like he was about to hug him. “Where have you been, man? You should stop disappearing like that! You didn’t get married again, right?”

“Hello, Daniel. No, I did not. But if you don’t mind, I--”

“Is this my pudding?” For a moment Dan had been torn between scolding the woman using the files on his desk as a cushion and confronting the man eating his snack, but somehow the former offence hadn’t seem that great compared to the latter. “You _can_ read, right? Because that’s _my_ name written th--” the man froze, eyes focused on the beautiful woman standing a step away from the pudding thief and for a second the world seemed to shift on its axis. “I know you.”

“Well, I do tend to leave a lasting impression,” Azrael chuckled. “I’m glad you’re better. It should be many years before we see each other again.” There was genuine fondness in her voice and the detective felt his heart steadying its rhythm. He took a minute to study the faces of the other people forming a circle around his desk before stepping toward his friend.

“La familia?”

“Unfortunately,” the Devil answered without averting his eyes from his brothers. Raphael was whispering something in Michael’s ear and the Prince of the Archangels seemed to be slowly calming down. A few moments later, as if following some silent cue, all four of his siblings nodded at Lucifer and headed for the exit.

“What on earth was that about?” the detective mumbled, still staring at the corner the heavenly host had disappeared from sight.

“Ugh,” Lucifer groaned and shrugged. He’d basically collapsed on Dan’s chair as soon as his siblings had turned their backs, looking like his whole strength had been drained from his body.

“Are you okay?” Das asked, wishing there was a polite way to question the Prince of Darkness about whether or not God had decided to end his existence. “Where were you? We were worried sick. Maze tried to find you after the first couple of weeks, but… she couldn’t. I didn’t know that was possible.”

“I was in the desert… for a while at least.”

“What happened to you?” Almost healed bruises were marking the Devil’s face and the detective knew his friend would present them as a telltale for an insignificant family squabble, but there was also something else – an invisible burden that was scarring his features worse than any physical wound could. “Are you in danger?”

“No,” he shook his head and stood up as proof of his well-being. “My siblings won’t hurt me without a direct order. Some of them won’t hurt me at all. Many of them just can’t.”

“Then what are they doing here?”

“They wanted to watch the show, I guess. Except for Michael, of course. He just wanted to spit in my face. And I suppose Azrael was also quite eager to whine about her knife.” Lucifer rolled his eyes, clearly tired of the conversation. “Can’t we pretend that this whole thing never happened? I was in the middle of forgetting the last month altogether when the lot of them just stormed in here. Dad forbid they let me live my life in peace!”

“Wait,” Dan frowned, struggling to make sense of his friend’s ramblings. “What show?”

“The one where I learn how to fly again to escape the hellish heat of the desert, of course,” Lucifer stated, sounding matter-of-factly, but the expression on his face was one of sheer resentment. “I mean, why else would they dump me there in the first place?”

For a few uncomfortably long moments the detective remained silent, staring sheepishly at his friend before finally mouthing the question he never thought he’d ask the fallen angel, “You flied?”

“Ah, yeah. Dear old Dad has decided I’ve had enough of the ‘free will’ experience and it’s high time he showed me who really has the upper hand.”

“So he restored your wings? To spite you?” the doubt in the detective’s voice was deafening, but the Devil somehow failed to notice it.

“Precisely!” Lucifer patted Dan’s shoulder affectionately and offered him his first smile in weeks. “It’s good to have someone who understands me.”

“So now you have wings? Like actual angel wings?” the man asked, not even trying to hide his excitement or the quite blatant way he was measuring his friend’s back.

“They are hidden now, Daniel,” Lucifer rolled his eyes as his hopes of smooth and quiet return to his old life completely vanished from his mind. “You want to see them, don’t you?”

“Oh, yes!” the man nodded with a wide grin on his face.

“Fine,” the Devil let out a long-drawn sigh and surrendered to his fate. “But it can’t be in front of so many people.”

For a moment the detective looked around, as if seeing the precinct for the first time, and Lucifer could swear he heard him mutter ‘stupid humans’ under his breath. After another moment of hesitation, Dan gestured at his friend to follow him.

“Everyone out! Now!” the man shouted at the people in the break room and almost forcefully pushed the fallen angel inside. “Markowitz, you too!”

As soon as the last stunned police officer had left the room, Dan shut the door and closed the blinds, looking rather frantic.

“You know, Daniel, this isn’t exactly helping cast away the rumors about the nature of our relationship.”

“ _You_ started those rumors. And honestly, right now I can’t care less.”

The Devil let out a sigh as his attempt at distracting the man failed miserably and slowly took off his suit jacket.

After more than two years of knowing Lucifer and one too many ‘incidents’ involving his peculiar ability to lose his clothes in public places, the man had learned that modesty, timidity and shame were rather unfamiliar terms to his friend. So watching his hands tremble as he struggled to unbutton his shirt was like a bucket of cold water for him, sobering him up from the selfish and quite human desire to behold a piece of divinity.

“You know, man,” Dan choked, looking for the right words. “You don’t have to do it if you don’t want to. It’s fine.”

Lucifer froze for a moment, his eyes still staring at the buttons of his shirt, but the insecurity written on his face was slowly fading away.

“Ah, always such a gentleman,” he chuckled, trying to conceal some of the tension and the detective humored him by letting a wide smile spread on his face. “Try not to be too smitten by their glory. We don’t want you to turn into a vegetable now, do we?”

“Right,” Dan rolled his eyes, secretly wondering if his friend’s words weren’t an actual warning. “I’ll do my best.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you were wondering, Sariel is an albino. Because... well, why not? :D


	2. Celestial Bird

“Wow.”

“That’s it?”

There were times when the detective could _almost_ empathize with whoever was responsible for the horrendous description of the fallen angel in the religious texts. Every now and then he even entertained the thought that maybe the image of the Devil, painted in the Bible wasn’t _that_ exaggerated, after all. Those were feelings born from irritation with his friend and the close encounters with almost every deadly sin, manifested in his daily activities. But as he was standing dumbstruck, facing the brightest of God’s angels, one of the very few coherent thoughts the man could come up with was that pride really wasn’t something Lucifer could be blamed for.

Dan had almost missed the moment the giant pearly-white wings had materialized on the Devil’s back. Lucifer had procrastinated the reveal with jokes and silly remarks, looking uncharacteristically hesitant and shy, but once the first step had been made, his old friend had returned in all of his irritating glory.

“You’re not turning into a vegetable, are you?” There was poorly concealed worry in the angel’s voice and the two radiant pieces of divinity flinched, threatening to disappear from sight.

“No, wait!” Facing the possibility of being separated from the warm, exhilarating sensation the very proximity of the wings was bringing to him, Dan jumped with close to maniacal look on his face. He took a step forward, drawn to the gentle glow of the feathers, his hands eager to feel the touch of divinity on them. His fingertips were just inches away from the primaries of the Devil’s left wing when a small gasp, escaped from his friend’s lips, brought him back to reality and forced him to stop in his tracks. “May I?”

“How sweet of you to ask,” Lucifer chuckled, but the detective didn’t miss the nervous vibe in his tone. Before Dan could read further into his expression, the fallen angel turned around giving him full access to his wings. “Try not to pull the feathers.”

A distant part of his mind registered the tension in his friend’s back muscles and the stillness suggesting that he’d forgotten to breathe, but even as the voice of reason in his head was screaming at him to back away, the man couldn’t resist the temptation. After a moment of hesitation he buried his hands in the cascade of feathers, ruffling them in the process.

“Easy,” Lucifer groaned and Dan immediately jumped back, shamefaced.

“Sorry!”

“It’s okay. Just… think of them as living things… Quite sensitive… Yes, that’s it… No! That tickles!” The Devil quivered when the clumsy human hands reached his lesser wing-coverts and made a sound disturbingly similar to a giggle. The detective bit back a smile and stepped back, giving his friend space to turn around.

“Thank you! That was a… spiritual experience.”

“Yeah, I hear that a lot,” Lucifer smirked, but without the usual mischievous glow in his eyes. “You sure you’ve had your fill? Because these aren’t gonna stay for much longer,” he gestured at the appendages on his back and they spread open as if of their own volition.

“What? Why?”

“Well, you don’t think I’m going to allow myself to become a pawn in my Dad’s plan, do you?”

“So what then? You’ll cut them off? Again!” The thought caused the man almost physical pain. Ever since he’d learned the truth about Lucifer, he’d believed that the severing of his wings had been the heavy price his friend had had to pay for his freedom on Earth and had never questioned the reasoning behind the painful sacrifice. But facing the full glory of divinity radiating from every feather, he couldn’t fight the rage filling his heart.

“It is my intention to ask Maze to do it, yes,” the fallen angel affirmed and hid his wings from the man’s eyes.

“But…”

“Haven’t I told you enough about my Father, Daniel? He’s a manipulative bastard who wants nothing more than to control the lives of, well, everyone! The wings are just another part of his elaborate plan and I want nothing to do with it!”

“Have you thought that maybe they’re a gift? A peace offering perhaps? I mean, you did prevent a war in Heaven. That should count for something.”

The Devil snorted and rolled his eyes, his expression the one of grim mockery. “Sure. After all, it was dear old Dad who invented the carrot and stick approach. You behave and you get a pat on the back, you don’t and you get thrown out of the house. I just don’t share my siblings’ naivety when it comes to His games.”

“But doesn’t He know that? So why give you back your wings? Why make you stronger if He anticipates a confrontation?”

“Well, He does work in mysterious ways. Besides, if I am to return to Hell permanently, I would _need_ to be powerful. Hordes of damned souls, legions of demons. You can imagine the rest.”

“But if He wants you in Hell, why wait for so long? And what makes you think that’s what He’s after now?” As he spoke the words, the obvious answer appeared in his head clear as day. “Your siblings,” he murmured. “Are they here to force you to go back?”

“Not that they know of,” Lucifer laughed, much to his friend’s dismay. “Dad doesn’t have the habit of sharing His plans. And if Gabriel can be trusted, they all came here because they were _allowed_ to. Not because Dad _told_ them to.”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Dan asked, with his eyes focused on the small cupboard behind his friend. He was busy trying to find the night shift’s secret stash of ‘in case of emergency’ booze and missed the shadow that crossed the angel’s face.

“Apparently, after… Uriel Dad had forbidden the lot of them to come to Earth. Azrael and Lailah being an exception, of course. But even they were not allowed to visit me.” Something in his voice broke and Lucifer coughed, pretending to clear his throat. “Any luck with the alcohol?”

“Does strawberry daiquiri count?”

“You know, Hell might not be such a bad option, after all,” Lucifer rolled his eyes in exasperation, but accepted the bottle filled with pink liquid the detective offered him.

After a few minutes, in which the daiquiri became ancient history, Dan dared to satisfy his curiosity, “So who’s Lailah?”

“One of my sisters,” Lucifer waved a hand dismissively. “Real pain in the behind. Her job is to take care of the souls before their birth. She teaches them all they need to know about the order of the Universe and then makes them forget everything,” he sighed wearily and shook his head. “Hers is considered to be one of the ‘cool’ jobs.”

Dan nodded silently, wondering how many of the questions popping in his head he could ask, before really pissing off his friend when a cheerful voice outside grabbed his attention.

“You, guys, and your conspiracies! I’m telling you there’s nothing--” the break-room door burst open and Ella stormed inside, the wide grin vanishing from her lips as she laid eyes on the two men. “Oh. Sorry! They told me Lucifer was back and I… But greetings can wait. I’ll leave you two to… chat or whatever.” The woman took a step back, but a second later seemed to change her mind and slammed the door, shooting daggers at the duo. “I can’t believe you two! I mean, I’m happy if you are, but that’s really uncool what you’re doing to Chloe.”

It took a moment for Dan to make sense of his colleague’s words and his insides turned upside down. Lucifer was still half-naked, grinning like a Cheshire cat and the indistinct chatter outside could only mean that the detectives they’d kicked out were now gathered in the hallway, undoubtedly gossiping.

“Using the break room might not have been the smartest idea I’ve ever had,” he muttered, questioning his own sanity.

“Not locking the door might not have been the smartest idea you’ve ever had,” the Devil rolled his eyes but otherwise seemed to enjoy the current situation.

“Really, guys? That’s all you have to say?” Ella’s voice was filled with disappointment and Dan felt the need to make amends, though not being sure how.

“It’s not what it looks like,” the detective mumbled, earning frustrated stares from both Lucifer and Ella.

“Oh, Daniel,” the Devil shook his head. “Of all the things you could have said! Regardless, Miss Lopez, our surprisingly slow friend here wasn’t lying. I was simply showing him… something on my back.”

“Oh,” the woman exhaled, her face reddening. “Of course. I knew that! I was just messing with you, guys. Gotcha!” She faked a laugh and hurried to change the subject, “Is it like a mole or something? Those could be quite dangerous, you know. Though my brother once had a boil and claimed that nothing could possibly be worse than that.”

“It’s nothing like that. Though I do consider a surgical intervention to remove it.”

 “Yeah, dude, that might be best,” Ella nodded sympathetically.

“Actually, no, I don’t think so,” Dan barked, putting a conscious effort into reminding himself that Lucifer’s secret wasn’t his to tell. He locked his eyes with his friend’s, trying to give him a hint to take the presented opportunity.

“How many times do I need to tell you that I can’t read minds, Daniel?”

“Ugh,” the man huffed, resisting the desire to punch the Devil. “I was thinking that maybe showing Ella wouldn’t be…awful.”

“Have you lost your mind? Did _they_ somehow melt your brain?”

“Actually, I’ll be happy to take a look. I know a thing or two about those things,” the woman offered with a smile but Lucifer just shook his head.

“Absolutely not!”

“Think about it, man. She’s the only one from… the _circle_ who doesn’t know the truth. It’s getting weird. And she’s the only actual believer among us. It’ll be fine.”

“You can’t _know_ that!”

“Uh, guys… You do realize I’m still here, right?”

“Come on, man! Take a leap of faith.”

“Really, Daniel? You just _had_ to use that phrase!” Lucifer groaned, but his expression had turned hesitant and the detective could tell he was considering the option.

“Trust me, it’ll go better than you imagine.”

After another moment of silent hesitation, the Devil nodded his consent and Dan turned his attention toward the stunned woman.

“Um, Ella, you know how Lucifer always goes around rambling that he’s the actual Devil from Hell?”

“Yeah.”

“Well… Um… He is.”

The woman shifted her gaze from the detective to the club owner and then back before bursting into laughter.

“Is this part of that improv class you’ve been running? Are you both method actors now?”

“This isn’t an act, Ella. Lucifer really is an angel… fallen angel. He just showed me his wings.”

“Oh, I see,” the woman clapped her hands and beamed. “You want me to play along. Very well. Yes! They are truly gorgeous!”

“Oh, for goodness sake!” Lucifer rolled his eyes exasperatedly, stepped forward, took a deep breath and… spread his wings.

“Oh! Dude!”


	3. Rattle Me Bones

“That went well,” Dan glanced at the grumpy Devil and bit back a smile, knowing that the outraged look on his face was just a façade.

“You think?” Lucifer snorted sarcastically.

“Oh, come on! Don’t tell me you’re not thrilled and relieved that Ella took the… _news_ so nicely.”

“I suppose it would have been quite inconvenient if she had run away screaming, yes,” the fallen angel agreed grudgingly. “But was it worth the torture I had to endure – that is the question.”

The detective rolled his eyes at his friend’s blatant overdramatization. “It wasn’t _that_ bad!”

“Yeah, except for the part where you two almost plucked me like a chicken. My wings haven’t been that sore since I crashed into Hell,” the Devil pouted, absent-mindedly fishing the empty flask out of his pocket.

“Okay, what is this all about?” the man demanded when Lucifer threw the metal container on his desk, knocking his favorite Wobble-head doll down. “If it was _that_ unpleasant, you should have, I don’t know, _said_ something! Tell us to stop perhaps? You explained the angel wing anatomy to us, for crying out loud!”

“Well, you were calling the scapulars ‘the weird feathers close to the back’,” Lucifer scoffed, his eyes filled with self-righteous indignation. “I was _obligated_ to do something.”

“So you’re telling me that _this_ -” Dan gestured at his friend’s general persona, “-has nothing to do with Ella’s… _interrogation_?”

“Encountering divinity brings up some discussion topics for you humans,” Lucifer shrugged, putting on a mask of indifference. “I’m used to that now.”

“Then why didn’t you answer her question?”

“Which one? You can’t expect me to remember all of them. I mean, our lovely forensic scientist was quite literally quoting the Bible asking me to interpret it for her. What kind of a person even knows that book _by heart_?”

“I think you know what I’m talking about. All that… _grumpiness_ started when she asked you if now you could return to Heaven.”

“Well, I can’t. Don’t want to. Satisfied now?”

“Yes… I mean, no!” Dan shook his head, trying to make sense of all stray thoughts in his head. “Look, man… What if Ella was actually on the right track with this? What if restoring your wings was the first step of rising you back to grace? Why do you always have to consider the worst about your Father?”

“Because I know Him!” the Devil's eyes burned red with rage and, for the first time since he’d learned the truth about his friend, the detective flinched at the sight. The fires disappeared, revealing the remorse in Lucifer’s dark gaze and the man quickly patted him on the shoulder to show him that everything was fine.

“Instincts. Sorry!”

“You know I’d never hurt you, right? It’s just… a sensitive matter. See, I wasn’t always like this. _He_ made me that way. I used to be the Lightbringer, now I’m the Prince of Darkness,” Lucifer averted his eyes and cleared his throat. “Come to think about it, having _you_ as a step-dad wouldn’t have been the worst thing ever. You always spoil the little urchin… And I do like treats,” a grin spread across his face, but his eyes remained sad and distant, revealing how truly broken he was inside.

“Oh, did we reach the point where we can joke about this?” As he spoke the words, the detective could hear how fake and phony the cheerfulness in his own voice sounded, but the fallen angel pretended not to notice it.

“Don’t push your luck, Daniel!”

“Yeah… Speaking of luck, you’d better brace yourself,” the man nodded at something behind Lucifer and he turned around just in time to receive a slap across the face.

“You disappeared! Again!”

“Detective!”

“Hi, Chloe!” Dan greeted his ex-wife and took a step back. “You know, I have so much work to do. I completely lost track of time and… Yeah, I’m gonna go now. See, there’s this guy whose alibi I need to check so… uh… Bye!”

The man almost ran for the exit, feeling Lucifer’s betrayed gaze burning a hole in his back.

He was making his way through the precinct parking lot, trying to remember the list of tasks he had for the day since he’d forgotten his notepad on his desk in the hurry, when he saw her. Dressed in a plain shirt and jeans she looked just like any other woman, only her bright blue eyes, piercing through his soul giving away the divinity hidden behind the human façade.

“Azrael.”

“Detective Espinoza.”

“I believe you said it’ll be many years before we see each other again,” he tried to steady his voice, but the smug smile on the angel’s lips told him that he’d failed.

“Correct. But I meant during business hours. I just want to talk.”

“About what?”

“Don’t be so hasty. Come walk with me. It’s actually quite pleasant to merge with the crowd of humans as one of them. I can see why Lucifer enjoys it so much.”

“If this is about your brother, count me out!”

“You don’t even know what I’m about to say. And I respect courage, I truly do, but don’t forget who you’re talking to!” A subtle threat rang in the angel’s voice and the man reluctantly followed her out of the parking lot.

“Alright. I’m all ears.”

“I knew you’d come around. And you don’t need to worry – my agenda has noth… Oh, shit!” Azrael cursed and dragged the man further away from the street just before the stridor of engines and the sound of crushing metal announced the tragic ending of an improvised race. “Silly humans,” the Angel of Death sighed. “Come on, there’s nothing you can do to help.”

“Are they dead?” A small crowd was gathering around the vehicles, hiding them from Dan’s sight. “Are the people inside dead?”

“One of them is. Don’t worry about him – he’ll be welcomed in the Silver City. The other one is unharmed. Come now!”

“If you’re here talking to me, who’s going to guide the soul to the afterlife?”

“There’s something called multitasking,” a little smirk danced on the woman’s lips. “But since she’s already here, Sariel will cover this one. Please, focus!”

“Fine! What is so important to discuss that both of us need to abandon our duties?”

“Well, you guessed right earlier. This _is_ about my brother. Lucifer listens to you. He trusts you”

“Let me stop you right there,” Dan shook his head. “I’m not betraying Lucifer.”

“That’s wonderful! Because I’m going to need your help to protect him.”

“From what?” The detective felt his heart sinking in his feet, but kept the stern expression on his face.

“In a way, from _you_ ,” Azrael smiled sadly. “And the rest of your – how did you call it – _circle,_ of course. But you’re the only one I believe would listen to me.”

The man tried not to delve into the fact that the Angel of Death obviously had been spying on his conversation with the Devil and growled the first thing that came to his mind, “What are you talking about? I’m no threat to Lucifer!”

“You have good and honest intentions, yes. But you _are_ a threat. You’re poisoning his mind; making him hesitant about his decision.”

The detective blinked sheepishly, slowly understanding the meaning behind the angel’s words. “This is about his wings. You _want_ him to cut them off!”

“What _I_ want isn’t of importance here. It’s what’s best for him that matters.”

“Sure,” the man hissed. “I believe you.”

“You’re loyal – that’s admirable. But there are matters beyond your understanding.”

“Then go talk to Lucifer. Why involve me at all?”

“Because my brother is the most stubborn, self-destructive creature to ever exist. He would never listen to me. I tried speaking to Amenadiel, but he’s blinded by his faith in our Father. Chloe and Linda have never met me before and Mazikeen hates me so… I can imagine an attempt to persuade them that mutilating Lucifer would be in his best interest would go disastrously,” Azrael had begun to pace in circle, outraged by the predicament she was facing. “But you need to understand that I love my brother.”

“You sure have interesting ways of showing it.”

“I don’t blame you for doubting me. But where you see pretty things, I see instruments of war. And the last thing I wish to witness is my family drenched in blood.”

“Lucifer didn’t wage a war against Heaven when he had the Flaming Sword. I’m pretty sure you’ll be safe if you just leave him be.”

“See, that’s just it – I don’t think that would be possible. Not with all of us already here.”

“So your solution is to make one of your brothers weaker than the others? How thoughtful of you!”

“A weaker Lucifer would be useless as a ruler of Hell. Can’t you see?” the angel caressed his cheek, locking their eyes together. “I’ll convince Raphael to heal him. The pain will only last a minute and then he’ll be free.”

“Perhaps,” Dan averted his gaze, escaping the trap of the blue irises. “Or perhaps without the wings he’d no longer be able to leave his prison.”

“Bullheaded just like him. You two do make a good match. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!”

Without a second glance at the man, the Angel of Death turned around and disappeared from sight, leaving him alone with the burden of the decision he had yet to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to Wikipedia Sariel is another name for Azrael. In this fic they are two completely different beings, but still Sariel helping her sister with the work was my way to wink at the theory about her being the Angel of Death.


	4. In the Land of Friends and Siblings

“Daniel?” Lucifer stepped toward the balcony, carefully avoiding the empty beer bottles scattered all over the floor. His friend was a motionless silhouette against the evening sky and the Devil couldn’t fight the sudden shudder that went down his spine at the sight. “Dan, why don’t you move away from the balustrade?”

“Sorry. I invited myself in,” the man muttered, still looking at the clouds above. “I also helped myself to your beer stash.”

“It’s fine. I meant it for you anyway. Now let’s get you inside, huh? Alcohol and heights don’t mix well.”

“I’m not drunk.”

“Of course not! Now come!” Lucifer carefully laid a hand on the detective’s shoulder and gently guided him toward the glass door. “There. Isn’t it better now?”

“How did it go with Chloe?”

“Good… Great actually,” the fallen angel absent-mindedly waved a hand, his eyes focused on the man’s face. “What happened to you?”

“Remember when I first saw your face? The other one I mean?” the man’s expression was unreadable, but something in his tone put the Devil on alert.

“Yeah?”

“Remember what you told me back then? That I wouldn’t have to choose between you and Heaven?”

“Yes, I recall a… conversation… of that sort,” Lucifer said slowly, cautiously tasting each word on his tongue before giving it voice. “What made you think about that now?”

“I’m not sure what’s going to happen. And I know there isn’t much I can do, but… I want you to know that I’m on your side. Come hell or high water.” Dan went silent for a second before a grim smile spread across his face, “Considering whom I’m talking to, I mean that _literally_.”

“Thank you, but it’s not necessary,” the fallen angel breathed and placed a glass of cold water in his friend’s hands.

“Actually, it is,” Dan shook his head gloomily. “I sat here for hours, waiting for you and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what I should do. Should I tell you? Is this what she wants? Is she using me to manipulate you? Should I keep my mouth shut?”

“What are you talking about?” Lucifer snapped, his voice close to a snarl.

“Azrael. She… asked me to _encourage_ you to go ahead with your plan to get rid of your wings.”

“She what?” The Devil’s eyes burned red, but this time Dan didn’t flinch.

“She said it would be better for you if you were weaker. Something about not being fit to rule Hell.”

“I’m the Lord of Hell. Nothing can render me unfit to rule my own kingdom.”

“I thought you hated the place.”

“Right,” Lucifer cleared his throat, his attention focused on the glass in his hand. “Yes, of course I do. I mean, it’s offensive that Az would say… Never mind!” he shook his head and let his gaze drift through the window.

“Aren’t you worried that your sister wants you to mutilate yourself?”

“You know before my downfall…” Lucifer started, his voice a mere whisper. “Just after the Rebellion while I was waiting for Dad to pronounce the verdict, Amenadiel came to me and beat me senseless. I was already crushed, I couldn’t even defend myself. I hated him for centuries for what he did… until I met a soul in Hell. A foul one like all the rest, but the sod had loved his siblings dearly. Their father had been a drunk and a violent one. So to protect his younger brothers from his wrath, the miscreant I’m telling you about had begun to punish them instead of him. A few punches instead of the belt; bruises instead of broken bones. So I chose to believe that Amenadiel was actually trying to save me from… Well, from what happened later,” a deep sigh escaped his lips and he went to pour himself another drink. “I never asked him though,” he continued after downing two glasses of the amber liquid. “I may be wrong.”

“So you think that Azrael could _actually_ be considering the severing of your wings as the lesser evil?”

“She knew how much I wanted to escape. I don’t think she’d drag me back there, but…”

“But what?”

“You need to go. Tell the bartender down at Lux to call you a cab – you shouldn't drive like this.”

“Lucifer…”

“You’re a good friend, Dan. Thank you! But like you said, there isn’t much you can do,” Lucifer went to the elevator and pressed the button. “Go home.”

His friend was avoiding his eyes and Dan knew there wasn’t anything he could say to make him reconsider.  
_Stubborn and self-destructive_ – that’s how Azrael had called her brother and the man hated to agree with her.

“What are you going to do?” he couldn't stop himself from asking even as Lucifer pushed him inside the lift cabin.

“Pray.”

Lucifer’s cold grin was the last thing the detective saw before the doors silently closed between them.

“Azrael!” the Devil shouted before even gathering his hands for a prayer. “Azrael, I know you’re snooping! Come out and explain yourself!”

“I told her your human pet won’t play ball,” a female voice said as a shadow appeared on the balcony. “She chose not to listen.”

“Where is she, Lailah?” Lucifer growled at the tall, olive-skinned woman who was now marveling at his booze collection.

“Not here,” the angel shrugged. “And we both know Zazi stopped listening to the prayers centuries ago so save your breath.”

“What’s Dad’s plan, huh? Why are you all here?” the Devil snapped, but his sister just rolled her eyes.

“Like we said the last four thousand times, He didn’t send us. Most of us actually came here to make sure you’ll be all right.”

“So it’s Michael then.” Lucifer studied her face, but couldn’t find an answer in the stern features. “I’m right, aren’t I?”

“We don’t know. But Zazi thought it would be best to take precautions.”

“Cutting my wings is not a precaution! It works if I’m _asked_ to return. And Michael has never been the one for subtlety.”

“He’s not that bad.”

“He chained my wings and laughed as I burned. Don’t you dare defend him in front of me!” Lucifer snarled, his eyes burning.

“True. But he’s changed. And he’s just as scared as the rest of us.”

“Thousands of years of… _bad habits_ can’t change overnight. Believe me; I have seen plenty of evidence.” The fallen angel poured himself a glass and downed it before his sister’s words began to sink into his mind. “Wait… Why would you say you’re all afraid?”

“It’s…” Lailah hesitated and cast a glance at the balcony door as if expecting someone to storm inside. “It’s Hell.”

“What is Hell?” Lucifer frowned, tired of hearing that expression.

“The problem. Hell _is_ the problem.”

“Let me guess – you find it unsettling that I’m not there,” a sardonic smile spread across his face. “Or perhaps just dear Mickey does.”

“Hell is locked, brother,” Lailah whispered, her big dark eyes filled with fear.

“I know you don’t usually go there, sis,” Lucifer chuckled. “But Hell is _supposed_ to be locked.”

“From the inside,” the woman added with grim expression, but the Devil just shrugged.

“Well, of course. That’s how it always has been.”

“Yes, but back then _you_ were in charge.”

“And who did Dad send now? Don’t tell me it’s Camael – the only reason he was considered good for anything is because he wielded the Flaming Sword.”

“After Amenadiel… stayed permanently on Earth…”

“That’s one way to put it.”

“… Dad assigned the task to Dumah and Remiel.”

“Not a bad choice actually,” Lucifer nodded his approval. “Bravo!”

“Well, don’t rash with the compliments. So far they’ve been patrolling just outside the gates.”

“Then why did you say Hell’s been locked from the insi… Oh, no!” the Devil choked as the realization hit him. “No, no, no! How did that happen?”

“We… don’t… really… know,” the angel mumbled. “The demons must have been planning this for quite some time. We tried to take over, but the gates were too strong.”

“Well, of course! I spent millennia reinforcing them,” Lucifer hissed, the glass shattering in his hand. “What about the cell doors?”

“As far as we know, Hell is still functioning. Actually we have that information thanks to the… visit you paid to that professor,” Lailah smiled guiltily, but her brother’s eyes remained filled with cold rage.

“I get it now,” he growled and sat in the nearest armchair as if on a throne. “You made a mess and you want me to clean it up. Not gonna happen.”

“I’m afraid there will come a moment when you’ll no longer have a choice, brother.”

“Don’t threaten me, sister.”

“Michael…”

“I can deal with him.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“What then?”

“Zazi is convinced he’ll… _try_ something. But I don’t think he will,” Lailah hesitated for a moment, before stepping closer to caress her brother’s cheek. “People… and angels, for that matter, can change for the better. Look at you…”

“Michael and I are nothing alike!” Lucifer snapped and pushed away the hand, gently stroking his face.

“Maybe not. But he’s still your brother. Doesn’t that mean anything to you?”

“As much as it meant to him.”

“I told you – he’s not the same…”

“I somehow find that hard to believe.”

“What if I told you, he was planning on waging a war against the legions of Hell by himself?”

“I’d say he’s a fool,” Lucifer rolled his eyes.

“Look at us, Luci,” Lailah chuckled softly. “Smart doesn’t exactly run in the family.”

“So he told you that that was his plan?”

“No. But I know him.”

“Sure,” his voice was dripping with sarcasm. “Is there anything else you’d like to tell me? Because it’s getting late and you’re beginning to outstay your welcome.”

“I have but one request – don’t stay idle in this fight.”

“Yeah… Ask for something else,” the Devil smirked.

“Need I remind you that you owe me, brother?” the woman hissed, the shadow of a brief triumph passing through her features.

“You really want to force my hand, sis? Because many would advise you against it,” an evil grin played on Lucifer’s lips and Lailah instinctively took a step back.

“No. I simply want to remind you of who you used to be when you asked me for the favor.”

“What? Naive? Stupid?”

“You never thought that of yourself.”

“No,” the Devil nodded. “I did what I did. I had my reasons. It’s in the past now.”

“You believed that humans could be good. And I can see you still do. So why is it so hard to at least give your family the benefit of the doubt?”

“I don’t know. You tell me, sister,” he groaned, shifting to his Devil form. Tears were filling his eyes when he whispered, “Leave!”

A flutter of wings announced the departure of the angel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to my best friend - Wikipedia :D - Camael 'is claimed to be the leader of the forces that expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden holding a flaming sword' so I just couldn't not include it.
> 
> I haven't read the comics, but again thanks to Google, I came across the information that Duma and Remiel were the ones who had to watch over Hell after Lucifer's departure so... there's that.


	5. A Walk Down Memory Lane

His knuckles went white as he gripped the sheets, tearing them apart. The sound of ripping fabric filled the wide space of his bedroom, but he remained deaf to it. His mind was trapped in the nightmare of his own memories, the ghosts from his past manifesting themselves behind the curtain of his closed eyelids.

They were all there to torment him – the things he’d lost and those he’d left behind.

He was young; so young his wings hurt from the effort to keep up with his older siblings, but the plea to stop never escaped his lips for his heart was light and strong, and filled with joy.

He was older now, his arms aching from the weight of his baby sister, peacefully resting against his chest. She was a child no more so he held her closer, cherishing her pretense to need him still.

He was the Lightbringer, his soul basking in the pride glowing in his Father’s eyes.

He was a rebel – a staining shame on Heaven.

He was the Fallen, the Devil, the everlasting symbol of all evil.

He was a warden, a torturer… a prisoner.

“You’re the fucking Lord of Hell,” Maze snapped and jumped on her feet. “You’re a king here. What would you be on Earth?”

“Free,” the word rolled off his lips before he could stop it.

“Oh, yeah, poor you! So miserable in your realm,” the demon snorted, turning her back on her master. “Enjoy your stars!” Without a second glance at him she disappeared from the meadow, leaving Lucifer alone with the miscreant whose cell they’d invaded.

“She’ll come around,” a faltering voice whispered from the shadow of a distant tree. “Just give her time.”

“Someone has been snooping,” the Devil mockingly scolded the damned soul. “You know how much I hate that, Nathaniel.”

“Forgive me, my Lord! It wasn’t my intention!” The man’s eyes widened in horror before the fallen angel granted him the mercy of a benevolent smile.

“Relax, Nathan,” the Devil chuckled. “I’m done with the punishments for today.”

“How come you never torture me?” the sinner asked, suddenly shocked by his own temerity.

“Are you complaining?”

“Oh, no, my Lord,” the man quickly threw himself in the feet of his master, face almost touching the ground. “Forgive me!”

“Stand up, Nathaniel. You’re embarrassing yourself.”

“I apologize!”

“Of course you do,” Lucifer rolled his eyes, bored of the repetitive scenario. Underneath the sins that distinguished them from one another, all souls were the same – nurturing the same fears; hiding the same hopes for salvation; sooner or later falling into the same annoying pattern of pathetic servility. The demons had begun to call Nathaniel his _pet_ , but the truth was that he was simply another soul who just happened to have committed his gravest sin during an exceptionally beautiful night. His own personal Hell smelled of wild flowers and was illuminated by the gentle glow of the tiny suns Lucifer had ignited eons ago. The almost heavenly peace of the meadow was disrupted only by the guilt-fueled cries of the damned creature. So to secure his own desired island of tranquility, the Devil had begun to cease Nathaniel’s torment during the hours of his quite frequent visits.

“Sir?” the man dared to mumble after a few moments spent in deafening silence.

“Yes.”

“What will happen to me once you’re… gone?” he asked, his voice shaking.

“Nothing,” the Devil shrugged. “You’ll stay here punishing yourself for the sins you’ve committed.”

Nathaniel glanced at the cottage hiding the figures of a woman and a child and tears began to well in his eyes.

Lucifer followed the man’s gaze and sighed, “Or you can forgive yourself and get out. Truth be told, you’re far from being the worst in here.”

“Where would I go then?”

“The common area,” the fallen angel nodded in the direction of the rock, hiding the door to the true Hell. “It’s… ashier there, but your mind would not be haunted by the ghosts of your wrongdoings.”

A gloomy smile danced on the man’s lips and he shook his head, “Nah.” His eyes drifted away and his voice became distant. “I abandoned them… I do so again and again and I just can’t… I can’t stop. All I want is to go back, to hold Abigail in my arms, to tell Cora that her daddy loves her, but… But no matter how my heart breaks, I can’t force myself to stay.”

“Yeah, the pattern is a tough thing to break. Or so I’m told.” Lucifer yawned, but didn’t seem inclined to leave, despite the man’s whining.

“Can you help me?” Nathan raised his gaze and his hopeful eyes met a pair of burning red ones.

“I’m the Devil,” the fallen angel growled, but the rage in his voice never reached his heart. “Besides, it would be in vain. Even if I drag you out, your guilty conscience will just lure you back in.”

“Can’t you… Can’t you give me a second chance?” the man dared to ask, encouraged by his Lord’s words.

“As in release you from Hell altogether?” Lucifer laughed. “You’ve got some nerve there, pal.” Still chuckling, the Devil sat on the ground, gesturing to his prisoner to do the same. “You’re lucky I’m in a good mood today. I should tear out your tongue for what you said.”

“Forgive me, my Lord!”

“Stop apologizing. It’s annoying.”

“I’m sorry!” Nathan mumbled and bit his tongue. He was a young man with sunken cheeks, unkempt dark hair and rotten teeth. He would have appeared almost repulsive had it not been for the intelligent bright eyes, showing a glimpse of the vigorous spirit mortal life had managed to crush.

“Why did you leave your family, Nathaniel?” Lucifer furrowed his brows, studying the man’s face.

“I met my Abigail when I was very young, a boy almost. Our Cora came soon after. And I felt trapped. I worked like a dog and yet the money was never enough. I dreamed that in the town my luck would turn around, but Abby was afraid to leave our cottage and even more so to let me go by myself. So one night – _this_ night – I waited until she fell asleep and…” his voice broke into a hiccup and a whimper escaped his sealed lips.

“What happened after that? Did you find your happiness?”

“No, my Lord. At first I was telling myself that as soon as I gather enough money I’ll go back to my girls, but no one would hire me. I lived on the streets, eating whatever I could find. After a year I finally gave up and returned home, but it was too late. Abigail and Cora had passed away during the winter,” he sniffed back his tears, avoiding the fallen angel’s gaze. “I hanged myself on the tree above their graves.” The man pointed at a lonely oak behind the cottage, a small smile brightening his features. “ _That_ I do not regret.”

“So what do you think would happen if you get your second chance?”

“I’d do better,” the sinner beamed at the thought. “I’d love my family. I’d take care of my children. I’d never leave them.”

“But they are right there,” Lucifer narrowed his eyes and nodded at the cottage. “Why don’t you do right by them now?”

“This isn’t real,” Nathan shook his head. “ _They_ aren’t real. My girls are dining with God now.”

“I assure you they are _not_. But you’re not wrong about them being in Heaven.” The Devil stood up and patted the man’s head. “I know the thought of reincarnation is enticing, but take it from me – it’s not as good as it may sound. Your… Hell is not as bad as it could be. You’re trapped in a perpetual magical night. For some souls _this_ is Heaven. But if you go back, you’ll become a pawn in my Father’s plan once again. And if you fail to redeem yourself, your punishment will be excruciating.”

“I won’t… I won’t fail.”

Lucifer laughed at the man’s naivety, “I like your confidence. But you’re not the first soul to ever beg me for a second chance. And a long time ago I even said yes.” The Devil sighed, the shadow of remorse darkening his features. “Gamblers, hookers, a couple of thieves – all swearing that they’d do better. So I let them go back. Those who’d just died returned to their old lives and the rest found shelter in the still warm flesh of someone who’d recently passed away. At first I thought it was… _glee_ , the human desire to celebrate their salvation from the pits of Hell. Then I saw it for what it truly was. Their souls were damned, marked. Hell had corrupted them and they couldn’t help themselves. By the time my siblings and I realized the full scale of the damage, it was too late and Dad had to take things into his own hands. Ever heard of the Flood?”

Without waiting to hear an answer or see the horror in the man’s eyes, Lucifer stormed out of his cell.

 

A strangled groan escaped his lips and for a brief moment he could feel the silk wrapped around his skin and the sounds of the city below, but before he could fight the veil of unconsciousness, the dark meadow appeared in his mind’s eye and his own voice echoed in his head.

“A hundred and ninety-three years – that’s how long you’ve been dead. Earthly time,” he was pacing in circle, waving his hands as he spoke. “Which means your time in Hell is... significantly longer.”

“I realize that,” Nathaniel was struggling to keep a straight face, but his eyes were glowing with excitement.

“And you realize that’s left a scar on your soul? You’ll never be truly able to escape Hell. It will haunt you, either tormenting you or luring you back.”

“I’ll resist,” was the man’s quick answer, but the Devil just rolled his eyes.

“That would be enough for any other soul, but you need to do better. Become a doctor and save lives or… a cop and fight evil. I don’t know. The whole redemption thing is a mystery to me as well.”

“I shall not disappoint you!”

“This isn’t about me, Nathaniel! We’ll probably never meet on Earth and I’ll be long gone from Hell when… _if_ you return.” The Devil rubbed at his temples, fighting a sensation confusingly close to a headache. “Perhaps this is a mistake. You won’t even remember what you’re fighting against.”

“No, please, Lucifer,” the man pleaded, his bright eyes widening in horror.

“You don’t understand, Nate!” Lucifer grunted, waving a hand dismissively. “It’s a… pattern – you’ll follow it unconsciously. You may love your family, but you’ll abandon them nonetheless. And other sins will follow. In the end you’ll come back and face the retribution for your deeds. If you stay here at least you’ll know that it can’t get any worse.”

“You know, that’s rich coming from someone planning his own escape.”

“Don’t forget who you’re talking to!” the Devil snarled through clenched teeth, but the man just shrugged.

“I haven’t. But weren’t you the one constantly complaining about the hypocrisy and servility of the souls in here?”

“Touché,” Lucifer chuckled and studied the man’s face before placing a hand on his shoulder, a deep, long-suffering sigh escaping his lips, “Fine. Let’s go.”

He dragged the sinner out of his cell and silently guided him across the halls. Nathaniel followed him obediently trying hard not to listen to the indistinct cries coming from behind the countless doors surrounding them.

“So…” he choked on the lump stuck in his throat, but the Devil didn’t seem to notice. “How is it going to happen?” the man spoke at last.

“I made a deal with my sister Lailah,” Lucifer explained without looking at him. “She’ll carry you to Earth and guide you to the body of a stillborn baby. She has the ability to wipe out the memories of a soul before its birth so you’ll be as close to starting over with a clean slate as you can get.”

Before Nathaniel could even nod, a tall figure appeared in front of them, as if materializing out of thin air. The gorgeous woman with short black hair and austere expression written on her face folded her grey wings and studied the pair. Her dark eyes lingered on the man and she let out a sound of disgust.

“That’s the soul you want to release? Have you lost your mind?!”

“I thought we had a deal.”

“We do. I’m just questioning your sanity,” the angel shrugged, still looking at Nathaniel as if trying to evaporate him with her gaze.

“Sister!” an audible threat rang in the Devil’s voice and Lailah finally granted him her full attention.

“All right!” she rolled her eyes exasperatedly. “Say your goodbyes and let’s get this over with.”

Nathaniel turned toward the Devil but he just shook his head, saying dryly, “Try not to become a mass murderer. Or a douchebag.”

“I’ll be glad to see you again… upstairs,” the man mumbled, a small smile brightening his tormented features.

“Farewell, Nathaniel.” Lucifer gestured at him to keep walking toward the gates, before catching a glimpse of his sister’s expression. “What?”

“I get _him_ ,” she shrugged in response. “Humans have come up with a term for that peculiar phenomenon. I believe they call it Stockholm syndrome. But what has gotten into you, brother?”

“Maybe I’ve discovered the appeal in the thought of starting over.”

“You really believe this soul has a chance?”

“I certainly hope so,” he shrugged avoiding his sister’s gaze. “Do me another favor – make sure that he… or she is raised in a… _decent_ home.”

Lailah bit back a smile, resisting the urge to stroke her brother’s face. “I have an adorable couple in mind. They’ve wanted a child for a long time, but as we speak the umbilical cord is strangling their unborn son.” A pained sigh escaped her and she hastily wiped the tear rolling down her cheek. “Your pet will be their miracle. And he’ll grow up loved. But that’s all I can promise you.” She cocked her head, studying the expression disfiguring the Devil’s features. “As for the rest, God will be his judge.”

He nodded and suddenly the world went dark, the ground disappearing from beneath his feet. His wings spread open of their own volition and sharp pain shot through his back, forcing him to open his eyes.  
He was in his bed, his wings uncomfortably pressed against the headboard, the remains of his black silk sheets clenched tightly in his fists.

His sister’s voice echoed in his head as clearly as it had all those years ago, _“God will be his judge.”_

A shaky hand absent-mindedly went through his messy hair as the realization slowly dawned on him.

Daniel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Daniel - from the Hebrew name דָּנִיֵּאל (Daniyyel) meaning "God is my judge"
> 
> I've had the idea of Lucifer releasing a soul from Hell and then meeting the person said soul had become for some time now and Dan was sort of the obvious choice.  
> I know that this chapter seems disconnected from the narrative, but this revelation plays a role in the future. :D


	6. Never Let Me Go

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The title is from the song of Florence and the Machine. In case you haven't heard it (I'm not sure if that's possible, but still) you should listen to it... like right now :D

“I’m sorry, but I still don’t understand what my role is supposed to be.”

“I need you to knock some sense into his thick skull, Linda.”

“Yeah, _every word_ in this sentence worries me,” the doctor bit her bottom lip, but didn’t protest further. A moment later the elevator doors slid open and Maze gently pushed her inside Lucifer’s penthouse.

“Ah, Doctor! To what do we owe the pleasure?” the Devil greeted her, rising to his feet from the couch, but his cheerful tone couldn’t cover the tension vibrating in the air. Amenadiel was standing just a step away from his brother with a grim expression on his face and acknowledged the presence of two women with a stiff nod.

“Maze asked me to come and talk to you.” Linda offered her most challenging patient a small smile.

“Really, Mazikeen?” Lucifer rolled his eyes and went to pour himself and his guests a drink. “I’m sorry, Doctor, but right now there isn’t anything I wish to discuss.”

“No!” Maze snapped at him, her voice close to a snarl. “We _will_ discuss it! And this time you’ll listen!”

“Okay,” the therapist stepped between them, raising her hands in a placatory gesture. “How about we all take a deep breath, huh? Lucifer, Maze is concerned about you. We all want what’s best for you. So why don’t you tell me what’s bothering you?”

“What’s bothering me is that my oldest friend wants to cut my wings off… again,” Lucifer explained, sardonic smile playing on his lips.

“What?!” Linda turned around to face Maze, her eyes wide in surprise, before focusing her attention back on Lucifer. “Wait, you’ve got your wings back?”

“Oh yes, Doctor. I’ve been meaning to tell you during our next session,” the Devil shrugged, his expression unreadable.

“Okay, that’s definitely a rich discussion topic,” Linda said more to herself and shook her head. “Anyway, why do you think Maze wants you to… remove them?”

“I don’t _want_ to! You know that!” The demon went past the doctor, stepping into Lucifer’s personal space. “But we have to consider the possibility that this might be our only option.”

“You sound just like my sister,” the Devil let out an exasperated groan and rolled his eyes. “I never thought I’d see the day.”

“Believe me, I find it hard to believe, too. You know the love I bear for the pompous asses you call siblings. But desperate times…” Maze reached for her glass and tossed back its content. “And these _are_ desperate times.”

“Will someone, _please_ , explain to me what’s going on?” Linda’s gaze shifted from the pair at the bar to the still standing in the middle of the room Amenadiel, her brows raised expectantly.

“The demons have taken control over Hell,” the angel began to explain stepping forward. “Our siblings can’t enter it.”

“Okay,” the therapist nodded, trying to compose herself. “That sounds… bad. Is it? Of course it is! How bad is it?”

“Very bad,” Lucifer said grimly while pouring his twelfth drink for the evening. “Apocalypse kind of bad.”

“But there’s a way to fix it,” Amenadiel added seeing the woman’s petrified expression.

“A stupid-ass way that is not even up for discussion,” Maze snarled at her former lover. “That’s exactly why we need you, Linda.” The demon turned to her friend with a pleading smile.

“I’m… I’m afraid I still don’t understand.”

“Hell is still fully functioning, which means that the damned souls at the moment of their death go straight into their respective cells,” Lucifer explained matter-of-factly. “No need to go through the gates. That’s why I managed to go there and interrogate the professor. The problem is that I need to die in order to get inside. Flying can only get me to the main entrance just like my siblings. Hence my sister Azrael and our dear Maze here are convinced that Michael or some other family member will try to kill me and send me there to deal with the situation.”

Linda’s expression went blank as she collected her thoughts. “But what does that have to do with your wings?”

“I’m stronger with them,” the Devil shrugged. “If I am to fight a demonic army all by myself, I’m going to need them. If I cut them off there’s a high chance I won’t win the battle.”

“And your family knows that.” Maze placed a hand on his shoulder, locking their eyes together. “They’ll let you be and seek another solution.”

“There’s no other solution, Mazikeen,” Amenadiel groaned.

“According to Lailah, Michael is planning another attack from the outside,” Lucifer informed before downing another glass of bourbon.

“And we all know exactly how this is going to end,” his older brother stated.

“Precisely,” Maze snapped. “He’ll huff and puff and when he sees that doesn’t work, he’ll go for plan B. That’s why we need to act _now_!”

“And what will happen if the angels don’t regain control?” Linda’s voice was trembling, but otherwise she looked as composed as ever.

“Could be nothing,” the demon waved a hand dismissively.

“Yeah. Or they can release the damned souls and send them to flood the Earth,” Amenadiel added sardonically.

“I have to go back,” Lucifer’s voice was sad and distant. “Amenadiel’s right. I… I have to do something.”

“No, you don’t!” Maze shook her head. “Linda, tell him!” she cried hoarsely.

“But even if you do go…” the doctor hesitated, casting a look at her friend before shifting her gaze back to Lucifer. “Even if you go back, it’ll be just like before, right? You die for a minute, open the gates and then come back to life.”

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple, my dear Doctor,” the Devil smiled ruefully. “The gates won’t open for me. I’m gonna have to find the keys… Fight to get them,” he furrowed his brows and shook his head. “Even if I win, I won’t be able to return in time. My body will… expire.”

“Dad can bring you back.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like you can ask Him if He would,” Maze growled.

“We need to have faith in Him.”

“What we _need_ is to make sure we won’t have to rely on His mercy. If your Father wants the keys to Hell, He can get His ass down there and retrieve them Himself.”

The doctor watched the celestial quarrel without registering any of it. Her mind was still making sense of Lucifer’s words and she finally raised her voice to ask, “What do you mean the gates won’t open for you? Would they open for anyone?”

“What?” A shadow of uneasiness darkened the Devil’s features for a second, before he answered coyly, “It’s an expression.”

“The gates will open to release a righteous soul,” Amenadiel clarified, noticing the confusion written on the woman’s face. “But that’s a theoretical situation. And since the gates are sealed, no one who doesn’t belong there can enter so it’s practically impossible for a soul, destined to go to Heaven, to end up in Hell.”

“But your Father… He’ll –”

Linda’s words were cut off as the silent ding of the elevator announced the arrival of two uninvited guests.

Lailah waltzed in, greeting her brothers with a smile and narrowed her eyes at Maze. Behind her with dumbstruck expression on his face was…

“Daniel!” Lucifer ran to his friend, pulling him further away from his sister.

“Is it true?” the man asked, his voice faltering.

“What?”

“She told me. Is it true?”

“Is what true?” Maze frowned at the detective, then shifted her gaze to Lailah.

“It’s not important,” Lucifer forced a smile and tried to push his friend toward the exit. “We’ll talk about it some other time, okay? You need to go home now, Daniel.”

“Lucifer, tell me!”

“Tell you what? Tell him what, Lucifer?”

“Please! I need to hear it from you.”

“Okay, fine! Yes. It’s true. But it doesn’t matter. You’re doing great. You should be proud of yourself!”

“Brother, what’s going on?”

“I spoke to Azrael,” Lailah purred, her content obvious. “Turns out our Daniel here has managed to earn a ticket to the Silver City.”

“Yeah and?” Maze narrowed her eyes at the angel. “Literally everyone in this room could have given you that information.”

“Sister, you need to leave now!” Lucifer growled, but Lailah shook her head in response.

“No, brother. We finally have a solution.”

“What is she talking about?”

“It doesn’t matter! It won’t happen!”

“Lucifer,” Dan grabbed his arm, forcing him to look at him. “It’s okay. I’ll do it.”

“No, you won’t! Lailah, you promised me!”

“Our agreement didn’t cover that particular situation.”

“Lucifer, what the fuck?”

“Luci,” Amenadiel took a step forward and gently squeezed his brother’s shoulder.

“I can deal with it Amenadiel,” the Devil almost pleaded. “I will go.”

“Oh, for goodness sake!” Lailah rolled her eyes. “The martyr act doesn’t suit you, brother. Besides, he already said yes. I explained him everything and he agreed. I must admit I underestimated your pet.” She patted Dan’s shoulder which caused Lucifer to yank his friend away from her grasp once again.

“What do you mean, sister?” Amenadiel asked, his eyes focused on the mortal man.

“Some time before he left Hell Luci freed one of the souls.” Lailah made herself comfortable on the couch and gestured at her brothers to join her, but neither of them accepted the silent invitation. “Very well,” she smiled cocking her head. “I carried the soul to Earth and ensured him a body and a decent home to start his new life. You’re welcome, by the way,” she added, casting a glance at Dan.

“Wait!” Maze looked at the detective as if seeing him for the first time. “That’s Nathaniel?” Her hands went to inspect what her eyes couldn’t see and she purred appreciatively even as he stepped back to avoid her touch. “That’s some serious upgrade right there.”

“Yeah, whatever,” the angel rolled her eyes at the demon’s antics. “What’s more important is that there is an empty cell with his name on it in Hell… Well, not _his_ name, but it’ll do.”

“Forget it!” the Devil shook his head, his eyes burning. “Not happening!”

“Lucifer,” Dan raised his gaze and summoned a small smile. “That’s not your decision to make.”


	7. Drag Me to Hell

“Well, then try harder!” Lucifer’s roar echoed through the wall and a moment later he entered the main bedroom, looking disheveled and hectic. During the past six hours the fallen angel had gone through all of the religious and occult books in his library, shouted at five of his siblings, punched two of them and had drunk about half of the alcohol that could be found in the penthouse.

“Are you sure you don’t want to reconsider?” he cast a hopeful glance in Dan’s direction.

“What was that about?” the man frowned, not sure he wanted to hear the answer.

“Amenadiel’s kaput,” Lucifer let out a deep sigh and reached for the bottle of Scotch on the nightstand. “Apparently mister tall, dark and broody has his powers just on _occasions_.”

“Oh,” Dan averted his eyes in a failed attempt to hide his fear. “That’s okay.”

“A word and we call this whole shenanigan off,” his friend reassured him for the sixty-eighth time that night, his voice sounding like a faded echo. Both men knew what the answer would be, just like they were aware of the growing impatience of the angels coming in and out of the penthouse.

The very second her brother had shown any kind of hesitation regarding the man’s suicidal plan, Lailah had called the rest of the family, informing them about the newfound solution to the predicament they were in. That same moment the Devil had pushed his friend and his therapist inside the bedroom, proclaiming it to be off limits to his siblings. But even though they still had the good sense to honor the boundaries, the tension vibrating in air was threatening to explode at any minute.

“Lucifer, we’re wasting time!” a husky voice said as a bold, scary-looking man with fresh bruises around his left eye appeared at the entrance. “Every hour on Earth equals days in Hell.”

“Yeah, and somehow that wasn’t a problem when _your_ asses were on the line,” the Devil snarled at his brother. “You know how much I _hate_ hypocrites, don’t you, Gabriel?”

“Lucifer, he’s right.” Dan willed his eyes not to look at the AED Maze had left on a chair near the bed three hours ago and went to stand next to the Devil. “It’ll either work or it won’t. At this point there’s only one way to find out.”

“But if Amenadiel would just stop whining for a second and concentrate…”

“You said that the distance between my… between Nathaniel’s cell and the gates could be made in about ten minutes. That should be, what, a few seconds on Earth?” the man faked a careless smile and gave his friend a reassuring pat on the shoulder. “The whole ‘slowing down the time on the entire planet to prevent my brain cells from dying’ is a bit of overkill in this situation, don’t you think?”

“And, honestly, what brain are we even talking about?” A laugh echoed from the living room, followed by shushing, an exasperated groan and Raphael’s velvet voice, claiming:

“Mich was just joking!”

Lucifer rolled his eyes, gestured at his friend to wait for him and left the room, pushing Gabriel out as well in the process.

“I have to ask,” Linda’s small voice came from across the room, “why do you want to go with this?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” Dan shrugged absently, his attention focused on making out what was going on outside.

“Aren’t you afraid?”

“Did Lucifer tell you to talk me out of it?”

“No,” the therapist shook her head and offered him a friendly smile. “Call it a professional curiosity.”

“So what?” the man chuckled. “Instead of a last meal I’m offered a last free therapy?”

“Would you say you are in need of therapy right now?”

“Oh, for those pricks’ Father’s sake,” Dan rolled his eyes, jerking his head in the general direction of the living room. “Spare me!”

“Fair enough,” Linda nodded, her smile growing wider. “Then why don’t you just tell me whatever thoughts pass through your head?”

“Fine,” Dan took a deep breath, not trying to keep up the pretence. “Honestly, I’m… I’m terrified. I keep thinking that I may not be able to come back and I’ll leave my daughter fatherless without so much as a goodbye. I have this feeling in my gut that I’ll end up trapped in Hell or… or worse.”

“Oh, come on!” a cheerful voice interrupted his train of thought and Dan turned around just in time to see two pale hands reaching to cup his face. “Lucifer worries too much and Michael… Well, Michael’s our brother, we’ve grown used to the way he is.” Sariel chuckled and offered the man a radiant smile. “But we’re not actually gonna let you _stay_ dead. You have any idea how rare it is for the Devil and the Angel of Death to come to an agreement that a soul needs to live? ‘Cause I’ve never seen it happen before.” The petite angel gave him a quick and quite tickling peck on the nose and jumped on the bed. “I was told you need to be shirtless for the procedure. You want me to help you with that?”

“Sariel, what the hell?!” Lucifer grunted entering the room and his sister stuck her tongue out at him.

“You said I can’t come with you,” she shrugged. “That’s the only way to help I could think of.”

The fallen angel rubbed at his forehead in pretended exasperation and turned to his friend, a grin still playing on his lips, “Please, try not to sleep with my sister!”

“I’ll do my best.”

“Rude,” Sariel let out a sigh and jumped off the bed. “Are we about to begin now?”

“Yeah, uh, Dan,” Lucifer’s expression turned grim as he stepped forward and locked his eyes with the man’s. “You don’t have to.”

“Yeah, I know. So how is it going to happen?” The detective cast a glance at the people who were now crowding the room and swallowed the lump struck in his throat.

“Well, um, Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Lailah and I will fly to Hell and wait at the gates…”

“Aren’t you missing something?” Maze said in a low growl and the Devil quickly amended:

“I’ll take Mazikeen with us, of course. Anyway, once we’re there I’ll call Azrael to let her know it’s time for… uh, for…”

“Me to die?”

“For your heart to temporally stop beating, yes. Doctor, I was wondering if you would…”

“No, no, no, no, no!” Linda cried in a dangerously high-pitched voice and frantically shook her head. “Not again!”

“But…”

“Don’t stress the poor woman out, Luci,” Azrael rolled her eyes at her brother and went to study the innocently looking defibrillator. “I’ll do it.”

“What happened to the rule about taking a human life?” Linda mused, provoking a sinister smirk on the angel’s lips.

“By all means, if you insist on doing it…”

“No! Sorry I asked!” The therapist took a step back and Maze crossed the room to stand beside her.

“Cute.” Azrael observed the pair for a moment as if contemplating whether to add anything else, but then shook her head and simply said, “I believe Dad will forgive me this one time… considering the circumstances.”

“Good. Now that’s settled, let’s go!” Michael spread his wings and got elbowed in the ribs by Sariel.

“Sorry, bro, genuine mistake! You know how sudden movements startle me,” the angel innocently fluttered her fair eyelashes, not looking even remotely apologetic.

“Get out!” Lucifer growled, flashing his Devil eyes at his least favorite brother and received an equally angry glare in return. “All of you!”

“Of course!” Raphael wrapped an arm around Michael’s shoulders, giving him a gentle push toward the exit. “Take all the time you need.”

Not even waiting for the rest of his siblings to leave the room, Lucifer snapped at his friend, the glass in his hand cracking under the pressure of his deadly grip, “For goodness sake, Daniel, think of your spawn!”

“I am.”

“Right. Look, we might have exaggerated the urgency of the situation. I mean, we can’t be _sure_ the demons will actually do anything… disastrous. For what is worth, during my reign they only tried to take over Hell about two or three times.”

“Twelve, if we don’t count Alastor’s… temper tantrum.”

“You’re really not helping Maze!”

“It’s fine,” the man murmured as if to himself, yanked his shirt off over his head and went to lie on the bed.

“You know, under any other circumstances I would have applauded you for that generous display of your abs, but…”

“Tell me again the turns I’ll have to take,” Dan interrupted him, trying to recall their conversation from earlier that night. “One right turn past some huge red door, then two left…”

“ _Three_ left, then you go straight on until you see a black column with a pentagram on it. There you turn right and follow the Cocytus. It would appear it leads to a dead end. The gates should be just above.”

“Who puts the main exit on the ceiling? No, you know what? Forget I asked.”

“Right,” the Devil bit back a smile. “But if we’re right, the gates should open with you just standing there.”

“Sounds easy,” Dan shrugged, trying not to think about what would happen if they were wrong. “I’ll see you on the other side, I guess.” He rested his head on the pillow, avoiding his friend’s gaze.

“We should all get really drunk after tonight,” Maze beamed at Linda and patted the man’s leg. “Raise hell, Danny boy!”

“No, do _not_ do that!”

“Come on, Lucifer!” The demon dragged her former master out of the room and a moment later a flutter of wings announced the departure of the celestial family.

“It won’t be long now,” Sariel’s jubilant voice informed. “Oh, you’re already naked. Splendid!”

“Sister, do you mind!” Amenadiel grunted, but his eyes remained focused on the mortal man. “I’m sorry I won’t be able to… ”

“Don’t think about it,” Dan summoned a smile, but before he could say anything else Sariel jumped next to him.

“They say I’m too small and weak to join them,” she pouted, her pink eyes glowing with indignation. “Can you imagine?! Hey, Azi, what would you say if _I_ zap him?”

“Get off the bed, Sari!” the Angel of Death scolded her younger sister and went to sit next to the man. “Scared?”

“How about we skip the small talk, huh?” he groaned through clenched teeth, feeling the courage leaving him with every breath.

“Very well,” Azrael graced him with a smile, before reaching for the AED. “Once you go there, the memories of your past life will start coming back to you. Don’t let them cloud your judgment, okay?”

Dan nodded, not really being able to hear her over the sound of his heart pounding in his chest. He willed himself not to move as she closed her eyes, waiting for Lucifer’s cue to end his life and felt a warm hand caressing his cheek.

“Linda… tell Trixie and Chloe…”

“I will,” the woman whispered, but the words never reached him.

Through the veil of tears welling in his eyes he saw Azrael’s piercing blue gaze and read the command that left her lips:

“Clear!”

And everything went dark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> According to Wikipedia 'Cocytus /koʊˈsaɪtəs/ or Kokytos /koʊˈkaɪtəs/ (Ancient Greek: Κωκυτός, literally "lamentation") is a river in the underworld in Greek mythology'.
> 
> AED stands for automated external defibrillator. I know precisely zilch about med terminology, so I'm sorry if I that's not the correct term.


	8. Get Out

“Fucking hell!” Profane swearing welcomed them as they folded their wings and made their way through the dark halls leading to the gates. A massive figure ran toward them and before he could even react, Lucifer was trapped in a bone-crushing embrace. “How did they manage to drag _you_ down here?”

“Hello, Remiel,” he greeted dryly, pushing his brother back. “Don’t get too excited, I’m not staying.”

“I would have been surprised if you were,” the other angel chuckled. “So we’re breaking in then? I must admit you’ve built some hella strong doors there.”

“Actually, we’re waiting for the gates to be opened from the inside,” Raphael began to explain, but was cut short as his younger brother wrapped his arms around him and lifted him from the ground.

“Is this how you used to live in Heaven?” Maze observed the scene with mild disgust, written on her face. “Constantly hugging each other like some overgrown feathery otters?”

“That’s not how I recall it, no,” Lucifer shook his head and went to inspect the giant metal construction, meant to protect the world from the horrors of Hell.

“I’ve missed you, that’s all,” Remiel grinned and joined the Devil. “Could be lonely down here.”

“Yeah, I know,” he muttered under his breath. “Where’s Dumah?”

“Patrolling… Which is just a fancy term for taking a break.”

“Typical,” Michael narrowed his eyes at the other angel. “Did you even _try_ to do your job or it was just easier to make others do it for you.”

“Surprisingly, Micah, I even missed your spiteful remarks.”

“Really?” Lucifer perked, a smirk, playing on his lips. “Because I never managed to reach such state of mind. You haven’t happened to inhale any of the sulfur vapors, have you? Sure, it sounds like fun at first, but it can really mess up your brain.”

“That’s enough, Lucifer,” Gabriel hissed, shooting daggers at his brother. “It’s time to call Azrael.”

“Well, aren’t you a buzzkill,” the Devil smiled grimly, ignoring the silent threat written on the angel’s stone-cold expression. “Anyhow, I was thinking; since we’re all here, we can skip that part and try to, you know, rely on ourselves.”

Gabriel narrowed his eyes as if considering the suggestion, then shook his head and grunted, “Fine, _I’ll_ call her.”

But before he could do anything else, his hands were restrained by both Lailah and Raphael.

“Let’s not start this fight right now, brother,” Raphael pleaded, his warm gaze shifting from one of his temperamental siblings to the other.

“Don’t you ever get tired of playing _all_ sides?” the angel roared, but ceased the attempts to free himself.

“At least he’s not a complete sack of ass! Let go of me, Maze!”

“Lucifer!” The demon cupped his face, forcing him to look at her. “Call Azrael.”

“Since when are you on _their_ side?”

“I’m not,” Maze whispered. “But your plan won’t work. The noise will only put everyone on alert and it’ll be harder for Dan to reach the gates unnoticed.”

“B-but…” he stuttered, his expression growing helpless. “I can’t.”

“Are you really making all that fuss about one silly human soul?!” Michael furrowed his brows, indignation written all over his face. “What happened to you?”

Without expecting an answer or waiting to see his brother’s reaction, the angel closed his eyes and gathered his palms for a prayer.

A few endless moments later their sister landed gracefully, tossing back her heavy curls.

“It’s done.”

_____________

 

He woke up under the old oak tree his great grandfather had planted and groaned as an excruciating pain spread all over his body. His neck hurt where the rope had slowly drained the life out of his mortal flesh and he struggled for breath as fire burnt through his lungs. He was back at his old house and yet he didn’t feel at home. The plain wooden crosses, marking the graves of his most beloved creatures reminded him of everything he’d lost; everything he’d thrown away. He never begged the Lord for mercy, never prayed for salvation. He knew where he belonged; he’d known it ever since his foul ambition had led him to abandon all that was good and pure in his life. With a grim smile on his face he headed for the cottage, drawn by the ghost of his own guilty conscience.

“Hey, daddy!” a little girl with cheerful dark eyes and rosy cheeks greeted him. “You look funny.” She pointed at him and chuckled, “Halloween is next month, silly.”

He looked down to observe his attire and frowned. He was wearing the same dirty worn-out clothes he’d had for years and yet it felt odd to see himself dressed in them. The rough hands with three missing fingers seemed familiar, but it was getting harder for him to recognize them as his own. He raised his gaze to study the child grinning at him and his heart was overwhelmed by the love he felt for her.

“Trixie, what are you doing here?”

“It’s Taco Tuesday, remember?” his daughter laughed at the confusion, written on his face, but soon her expression darkened with disappointment. “You forgot.”

“No, no, baby! I just… I…”

“Let me guess,” a cold voice echoed behind him. “You have something more important to do.”

A beautiful blonde woman narrowed her eyes at him as if challenging him to confirm her doubts.

“Chloe… No,” he shook his head as a distant memory tried to make its way back to his mind. “I just… I feel like I’m forgetting something.”

“You were supposed to buy some Cheddar,” she cocked her head, biting back a smile. “Where is it?”

“I… I don’t… No, that’s not it,” he rubbed his forehead, fighting the sinister sensation sending shivers down his spine.

“Never mind. You’re here now,” his wife offered him a radiant smile and took his hand. “Trixie wants to tell you about her day, isn’t that right, monkey?”

“Oh, yeah,” the girl beamed. “I kicked the boy who was making fun of me at lunch and he started crying in front of everyone.” A mischievous grin spread across her face. “Miss Parson called me a little devil.”

“Devil…”

“Yeah, but Tim is mean to everyone and the principal said I did the right thing when I defended myself,” his daughter continued oblivious to the distracted look on his face. “Aren’t you proud of me, daddy?”

“I… You’re not real.”

“What?”

“Dan, how could you say something like that to her?!” Chloe went to hug their child as the man stepped closer to the door. “You’re leaving, aren’t you? Father of the year!” the woman hissed, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

“Daddy, please don’t go!” Trixie cried reaching out to him. “Don’t you love me anymore?”

“More than anything,” he whispered, fighting the urge to go and wipe the tears off his daughter’s cheeks. “That’s why I have to go now, baby.”

“That’s what all men tell themselves as they abandon their families, isn’t it?” A short woman with prematurely grizzled hair stood in his way, her arms wrapped around a sleeping child. “That they’re doing it out of love. Look what your love did to us!” She stepped closer, showing him the face of the small girl, and he jumped back when his gaze met two lifeless eyes, frozen in everlasting grimace of eternal suffering.

“I’m sorry! Abby… Forgive me!” he cried, hiding his face in his palms.

“‘Sorry’ won’t bring my baby back!” she screamed at him. “You should rot in Hell for what you did!”

“What did you say?” Dan dared to look at his soul’s first love.

“Rot in Hell!”

“I already did,” he whispered as the shattered pieces of his memories slowly aligned to form the picture of his lives. “And I missed you dreadfully.” His fingers caressed her face the way they’d done a thousand times and for the first time he felt that that wasn’t a goodbye. “I’ll meet you again, my love. And when I do, I’ll never leave you. But this is not you, Abby. Our forever can’t be here.”

With tears streaming down his face, he turned around and left, his feet carrying him away of their own volition.

He closed his eyes and let his body lead him out of the hell he’d created for himself. The sound of distant cries greeted him as the door to his cell shut behind his back and he looked around the empty hall, trying not to think about the time he’d wasted.

He started chanting the instructions Lucifer had given him, praying to whichever deity could hear him that this wasn’t the night the demons decide to take a stroll outside their prisoners’ cells. In typical Devilish fashion his friend had described the common area as too _boring_ for the hellish creatures, explaining that they preferred to spend their time engaging in new and exciting ways to torture the souls whose consciences were not sufficient punishments for their sins.

Obeying the primal instinct forcing him to run for his life, Dan almost blindly crossed the halls, counting the turns separating him from the freedom waiting behind the gates of Hell. He was almost there, tasting the air of the outside world when a distant cry sent shivers down his spine. Fifty feet away from him, in the light of a wide-open door, he saw the shadow of a creature, staring directly at him. Without a second glance, he turned around and darted in the opposite direction. It was there – the seemingly dead end Lucifer had promised him, but the gates above him remained shut.

“Lucifer!” he shouted, not worried about the unwanted attention the sound would draw. About five demons were now sprinting toward him and in flicker of desperation he decided to go the only way that was offering him any hope for salvation – up.

_______________

 

“This is madness,” Lucifer grunted for the fifth time during the past hour. “It’s taking too long.”

“It’ll be fine.” Raphael offered an insecure smile to his brother. “We just need to have fai--”

“Finish that sentence and I’ll break the gates with your skull!”

“Lucifer’s right,” Mazikeen frowned, ignoring the resentment in the eyes of the angels. “Something’s wrong. He should be out by now.”

“That’s it!” the Devil snapped. “We’re calling this thing off! Azrael, go back and revive him.”

“If his soul is still stuck in his cell I won’t be…”

“You’re the freaking Angel of Death! Do _something!_ ”

“If there’s still a chance that he might open the…”

“I don’t care about your bloody gates, Michael!”

“Hey, hey, hey,” Raphael shushed his siblings, standing between them just like countless times before that. “I can heal him, okay?” He placed a hand on Lucifer’s shoulder, his eyes pleading. “I can undo whatever damage the time… spent… dead had done to his body. Just wait a little longer!”

“He needs to be alive for you to heal him,” the fallen angel growled, escaping his brother’s grip. “Not that any of you hypocritical bastards gives a damn!”

“Lucifer!” Maze gestured at him to come closer as the muted sound of battle cries echoed through the gates. “I think they’ve found him.”

“Azrael!”

“No, wait!” Gabriel stepped closer, a rare glow of excitement lightening his features. “It’s working.”

The metal beneath their feet squeaked as the latches came to life like an ancient mythical creature, allowing the gates to reveal the horror hidden behind them.

 


	9. A Second Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said this chapter would be longer, but, well, it's not. Sorry about that!  
> I do like cheesy endings so proceed with caution :D  
> Enjoy!

“They just _had to_ summon the hounds,” Lucifer muttered to himself, absently rubbing his upper thigh where the beasts had torn through his flesh. The wound was already healing, leaving just a dull pain to remind him of what now seemed like a fading dream.

Sixteen hours had passed on Earth since he and his siblings had left the safety of their Father’s beloved creation to fight the legions of Hell. Sixteen hours that felt like years even back at his home in LA. He could still hear the creaking noise as the gates obeyed the ancient rule, commanding them to release those unjustly trapped behind them; he could sense his friend’s fear radiating in the air along with the rage and the thirst for blood of his once trusted warriors. His last clear memory was the sight of Azrael wrapping her arms around Dan, black wings carrying both of them away. And then everything had blurred together – the flutter of wings and the clang of swords; the battle cries and the howls of agony. The power of the habit had pushed him closer to Maze, the two of them falling into the rhythm of that millennia old dance, they’d practiced so many times. _Don’t let them surround you. Stay on your feet. Beware of the poisonous spears._ He couldn’t even pinpoint the moment he’d realized that _that_ fight was different from any other they’d led. He couldn’t tell how he’d noticed it either. Perhaps it had been the sight of wings, shielding him from the flying arrows or the rage burning in his chest as angelic blood had slowly soaked into the ground. He could feel them as part of himself; the connection, severed so long ago, tying them back together as one. And at that moment he had been just a boy, sparring with his siblings in a world that still knew nothing of pain and despair.

“That could have ended badly.” Amenadiel’s voice brought him out of his trance and he turned around to face his older brother.

“What?”

The angel just nodded at his leg, reminding him that his hand was still pressed to where his bandaged wound was hidden under the trousers.

“Oh, that,” Lucifer shook his head dismissively. “It’s nothing. The hellhound was young – he didn’t recognize me. Besides if we listen to Maze, that’s what you get for fighting a war in Hell, dressed in Prada instead of armor.”

“Are you sure, you’re fine?” Amenadiel asked and both of them knew he wasn’t referring to the cuts and bruises on his body. He could have asked Raphael to heal those, but he hadn’t found the strength. Just like he’d gone numb when there had been so many things he’d wanted to do; so many things he’d craved to say.

“They left,” he stated the obvious, lifting his gaze to the clear evening sky. For the first time since the Rebellion his family had stood united; for the first time in what felt like an eternity he hadn’t been the outcast, the pariah… the enemy. When he closed his eyes he could see them all covered in blood, but smiling as they’d crossed the halls of Hell together, bragging about their triumph. “It felt nice to be on the same side for once. You know what they say: families that slay legions of Hell together…” the words died on his lips and he shrugged, trying to sell the image of the carefree Devil to his brother. They hadn’t stayed together. He couldn’t even ask them to. “Anyway, it’s for the best. The wankers were getting insufferable.”

“Says the perfect example for an easy-going sibling,” Amenadiel chuckled, flashing a radiant smile at him.

“Oh, bugger off!” Lucifer rolled his eyes and went back inside. “What are you doing here anyway?”

“Maze texted me to come,” the angel shrugged, following his little brother to the bar. “Didn’t specify why.”

“She really does have you wrapped around her little finger, doesn’t she?”

“That’s enough, Luci!”

“You might have a competition though,” Lucifer continued, pretending not to see the irritation, written on the other man’s face. “I think Lailah made quite an impression on her.”

“Lailah?” Amenadiel raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “They’re literally nothing alike.”

“Perhaps not,” the Devil shrugged, filling two glasses with bourbon. “But if we’re being honest, have you seen our sis _really_ angry… ever?”

“What happened?” the angel asked, taking a sip of his drink.

“You know Agares? Anyway, he’d decided that a whip would be the most sufficient weapon against an army of angels. When the hounds attacked we got distracted for a moment and he managed to lash her across the head with it.” Lucifer shuddered, his eyes flashing red at the memory. “Dear Lailah just stood up, took the spear from Michael and kebabed the miscreant. I’m not even joking. She stabbed him through the mouth all the way down to his rear end.” A wide grin spread across his face as he no longer could contain the burst of brotherly pride. “It was glorious!”

“I’m sure,” Amenadiel snorted just as the elevator doors slid open with a soft ding.

“Lucifer!”

“Argh, get back!”

“Trixie, what have we talked about attacking people like that?” Chloe scolded her daughter softly, stopping her in the middle of her sprint toward the Devil.

“Not to do it?” the little girl shrugged, an innocent smile playing on her lips. She opted for a high five which the fallen angel accepted hesitantly.

“Really, man?” Dan chuckled, following his family out of the elevator cabin with three extra-large pizza boxes in his arms. “How exactly are the literal demons in Hell less scary than my kid?”

“They’re considerably more predictable,” Lucifer explained, his expression growing serious. “Shouldn’t you be resting?” he asked, taking the pizzas and placing them on the coffee table.

“I slept all day, _mom,_ ” the man rolled his eyes, but not without a smile playing on his lips.

“So you’re fine?” the Devil frowned, studying his friend’s face.

“Actually, I’ve been thinking about borrowing your therapist. That’s, of course, if Chloe doesn’t kill us both after dinner.”

“That’s not funny,” his ex-wife hissed in a low voice, casting a glance at Trixie who was now talking to Amenadiel. “What you two did was monumentally stupid. You could’ve died and you could’ve stayed dead.”

“But we didn’t,” Lucifer offered her his most charming smile. “ _And_ we averted a global crisis so… you’re welcome.”

“Man, you’re really pushing your luck here,” Dan chuckled as Chloe narrowed her eyes.

“I’m worried about you,” the woman whispered, her gaze shifting from her partner to her ex-husband. “How am I supposed to sleep at night knowing that you might be taking another suicidal trip to Hell?!”

“Oh, no, Chlo, trust me, I’m never going back there.”

“That’s right, Detective. Not on my schedule either. I mean, the climate there…”

“… is horrible. Everything is covered in ash. And the natives…”

“… are _very_ inhospitable.”

“Not really a place a man would like to… uh… visit again. So… uh… It’s safe to say we’re… staying.”

“Yeah. Definitely. Earth is so much better,” Lucifer concluded, both he and Dan grinning idiotically at Chloe who just shook her head, trying to bite back a smile.

“Mommy, can we eat now?” Trixie stepped closer eyeing hungrily the boxes on the table.

“Just a minute, babe. We’re waiting for the others to arrive first.”

“Others?” Lucifer asked just as Ella waltzed out of the elevator.

“Sup, guys!” the woman beamed. “I’m not late for the party, am I?”

“Nah,” Dan shook his head. “Linda and Maze ain’t here yet.”

“What party?” the Devil furrowed his brows in confusion.

“To celebrate your safe return topside, duh.” Ella shrugged, making herself at home on the couch.

“What? How did you…”

“Dude, I’m part of the tribe. I can’t believe you kept me in the dark for so long.”

“I _literally_ introduced myself as the Devil.”

“Ugh, fair enough,” the forensic scientist raised her hands in defeat, focusing her attention on the pizza boxes and peeked inside the top one. “Is this… pineapple and jalapeño?”

“Amenadiel likes it,” Dan shrugged, clearly doubting the angel’s life choices.

“Okay… But if there will be a party, what is the child doing here? I mean, the walls are relatively soundproofed, but…”

“Well, it will be more of a family gathering than your typical Friday night,” Chloe explained. “We can watch a movie or…”

“I brought Monopoly,” Ella jumped, glowing with excitement. “Actually, I brought _Hellopoly_.”

“What?” Lucifer voiced the question written on everyone’s faces.

“I made it myself,” the woman beamed, taking out a box from her bag. “It’s like regular Monopoly, but instead of Jail you go to Hell and it’s not about collecting money, but good deeds.”

“You turned a board game into a sermon?” The fallen angel wasn’t even trying to hide his disgust.

“No, no, no! Trust me it’s funnier than it sounds.”

“What is?” Maze and Linda had arrived unnoticed and now the demon was eyeing suspiciously the box in Ella’s hands.

“You know what? How about I just show you, huh?”

__________

 

“Why don’t you join us, brother?” Amenadiel sat on the couch next to Lucifer, handing him a glass of whiskey. Half-eaten slices of pizza were covering the table along with cards from Ella’s Hellopoly. No one could tell who’d won the game, but at some point all of them had been rolling on the floor laughing and according to the dorky forensic scientist, that was the whole point of playing.

“I’m sorry you’re stuck here,” Lucifer murmured, casting a glance at the angel. “I know how much you want to go back to the Silver City.”

“Yeah,” Amenadiel sighed. “But – and make no mistake, I’ll deny ever saying this – being stuck with you is actually kind of… nice.”

“Careful, brother! You’re getting sentimental.”

“Perhaps,” Amenadiel shrugged, a small smile playing on his lips. “But this,” he waved at the improvised dance floor in the middle of the penthouse where Chloe was taking photos of Dan and Maze who were taking turns showing Trixie different moves, “this is the life you built for yourself. And I don’t know about Dad or our siblings, but _I_ am proud of you.”

“Okay, shut up before I hit you.”

“Hey, guys,” Chloe waved a hand to attract the attention of the laughing people. “This was really fun, but we should go now.”

“But, mommy!”

“Monkey, it’s way past your bed time.”

“But…”

“Actually, I’m gonna go, too. I have to get up early for work, so…” Linda smiled apologetically and nodded at Lucifer. “See you on Monday, yeah?”

“Wait, wait!” Ella shouted, resembling a small child more than the actual kid in the room. “Let’s make a toast first. A proper end to a nice evening, huh?”

“Oh, I like toasts,” Lucifer raised his glass in anticipation.

“To all of you, guys,” Ella gave the people around her a fond smile. “I mean, I know I look all cheery and confident, but still when I first got here I was nervous and, if I have to be quite honest, kinda lonely. But you, guys, were so nice to me and you made me feel like I belong. You’re like a second family to me. And I love you all so much! Cheers!”

“Cheers!” The sound of clinking glasses filled the room, but the Devil seemed distant to everyone’s glee.

“You okay, man?” Dan softly squeezed his friend’s shoulder, furrowing his brows in an attempt to read his expression.

“What? Oh, yes. Yes, of course,” Lucifer shook his head as if to cast away his thoughts. “That was a lovely toast, Miss Lopez.”

“Aww, dude! Come on, group hug!”

“What? No! That’s _not_ what I meant.”

“I’m with Lucifer here. We don’t do hugs.”

“Come on, Maze, it won’t hurt.”

“That’s the last thing that bothers me, little human. Where do you think you’re going, Amenadiel?”

“I just…”

“Get back here! If we have to suffer through this, you’re staying, too.”

Before any of them could further protest or make an attempt to escape, they were all pressed together in what Maze would later refer to as the most awkward collision of bodies she’d ever been a part of. But even though he would never admit it out loud, being squeezed in the embrace of the people who loved and cared for him, felt more like Heaven to Lucifer that the distant memories of bright halls and cosmic peace.

And he silently prayed that one day he’d be able to follow his second family into the Silver City.

 

_**The End** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I struggled with the timeline a bit and went to change some things in the previous chapters, then changed them back... and then I changed them again. Now everything is pretty much the same as it was in the beginning. But just in case, here is how I see things: Lucifer and his family went to Hell some time around 4 am so sixteen hours later is 8 pm the next day. Which is conveniently evening time (I have a thing for Lucifer watching the darkening skies), but it's still an appropriate hour for two parents to bring their nine-year-old child somewhere (come on, it's just this one time, Trixie will be fine :D )
> 
> I fixed the ship tags here and in my other works (Yay!) Believe it or not, I had no idea when I should put '/' and when '&'. Don't laugh! It's better late than never, right? :D
> 
> THANK YOU to everyone who read this story!!! I hope you found it enjoyable! And to all of you who took the time to leave me a comment: YOU ROCK!!!


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